Please, Bear in Mind
by Sandsibscrazy
Summary: His brother was finally coming home but Itachi isn't who he remembers him to be. No pairings. ACCOUNT GOING UNDER CONSTUCTION
1. Chapter 1

Well I was very unhappy with the way I had Remorse and Retribution going so I revamped it into something much better. I hope you enjoy :)

**Disclaimer: **This literature is purely for recreational purposes. I gain no profit from the story. I do not own any rights to 'Naruto'.****

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><p>The search was coming to an end, he made sure to inform them that. Sasuke's eyes bore into the operation's notes on his cedar oak table. He remembered when he had got this table, over three years ago. Naruto had joined him at the store, glad that his friend's incarceration had ended. So Naruto deemed it appropriate to go furniture shopping. Sasuke shook his head, ending his minds inner ramblings with a sigh; he knew he was just trying to distract himself. Sasuke looked over the table at his old teammates and the few he picked up along the way.<p>

Uzumaki Naruto. Sakura Haruno. Hatake Kakashi. Hyuuga Neji. Nara Shikamaru. Sai. These six jounin and ANBU aided him all throughout this process. Now as it was reaching its end he couldn't help but feel grateful. He roamed his eyes over each ninja, wondering who would be the first to speak after such crucial information had left his mouth. Of course it was Naruto.

"Hell yea! Let's go get him!" his palms slammed loudly on the table top as he yelled excitedly, eyes shining as they gazed into Sasuke's onyx eyes. Sasuke took his eyes off Naruto to glance at Sakura, shocked to find her eyes so hardened with determination. That was when he realized everyone was looking at him in such a way. He swallowed hard to smother the emotion that tried to bubble up from within.

"When do we leave?" Neji asked quietly, his milky white gaze focused slowly on the head of this operation. Sasuke took a moment to respond as he looked up at the white ceiling in his small apartment. He closed his eyes and breathed in. He exhaled up, toward who or what he did not know.

"In three hours," he finally said. There were murmurs and shouts of agreement all around.

Sasuke stood as straight as he could and made eye contact with his old teacher, as if expecting him to add something to his previous statement. Kakashi looked at him blankly.

"Understood," that statement was all Sasuke needed to hear before he said sharply,

"Dismissed!"

Five hours later found the six shinobi racing through the trees. The distance grew more and more from Konoha as they traveled in companionable silence.

Sasuke was in the front of them all with Sakura and Naruto following side by side then Sai and Neji, leaving Kakashi to take up the rear. Sai felt a jolt in his chakra as an unfamiliar presence made itself known. He decided to notify his traveling partner.

"Neji," the Hyuuga did not falter at the abrupt address.

"Yes," he inquired.

"Do you-"but Sai was cut off by Naruto.

"We found 'im!" Neji smirked and glanced to Sai, who was now facing forward. Neji enjoyed Sai's apparent annoyance but it was put to a halt when he almost collided with Naruto's back and Sai almost into Sakura's. Sasuke had suddenly came to a stop, he was way ahead of the other's but very much visible enough for them to see the clenching of his fists and the shine of his Sharingan.

He closed his eyes and breathed in. Breathed out. In. Out. Once he had calmed himself he opened his eyes back up. This was it. His teeth clenched before he bit out.

"I…appreciate everyone's dedication in this operation. Now that we are about to initiate the final step I need to know if anyone is having doubts. We cannot afford any mistakes…" he paused and still saw the determined looks he had grown so fond of over these past months.

"We're behind you 100% Sasuke-kun" Sakura assured. The Uchiha nodded to her gratefully, he just realized how bad he needed to hear that.

"Then…lets go" with that the six shinobi dropped down and raced the two miles to the cabin Neji could so vividly see.

Once they reached the door to the small wooden cabin Sasuke didn't hesitate as he ripped the door of its handles using his Chidori Nagashi. The shinobi stormed in after him, brandishing their weapons just in case the worse would befall them.

What they were greeted with was quite a surprise. Uchiha Itachi lay peacefully on a small cot in the corner of the one room cabin. He was curled up a tad on his side, causing his hair to obscure their view of his face. Sasuke deactivated his Sharingan as he stepped closer to his elder brother. He kept his distance but checked all of the vital points that would signal if he was breathing or not. The steady rise and fall of Itachi's chest told him that his elder brother was indeed alive.

"Sakura," he ordered. His teammate immediately understood and approached Itachi warily. The oldest remaining Uchiha didn't even flinch, just continued sleeping on. She crouched in front of his chest, with her hand glowing green. A quick check up confirmed her initial thoughts.

"He's low on chakra and he seems to have some internal damage," she relayed to the other 5 ninja. They stood still, each still tense from their previous battle stances.

"Try to wake him," Sasuke said quietly. Most likely Itachi was unconscious but they needed to try anyway. Above all, Sasuke wanted to avoid a fight. Sakura put her chakra infused palm to his temples. She leapt back in shock as Itachi sat up abruptly, pulling a kunai from under the pillow that his head had previously been resting on. Sasuke's eyes narrowed at the sight his brother presented them with.

A very peculiar sight indeed, Itachi's Sharingan was not activated nor was his eyes quite focused on anything.

"Itachi, I'll need for you to drop that weapon," Sasuke said slowly and carefully. The addressed ninja froze up, his eyes widened slowly and the kunai slipping from his loosened grasp.

"How…do you know my name? Itachi…that's it…" the man murmured softly still a tad unfocused, his eyes trained on a corner in his small cabin.

"It's me, Itachi. We're going to take you back to Konoha ok?" Sasuke spoke carefully, unsure why his brother looked so confused but highly aware that Itachi seemed to be pointedly avoiding Sasuke's gaze. Sasuke figured it was Itachi's way of playing dumb.

"Well then, kind stranger. Since you seem to know where I come from, I believe it only custom that I follow you," Itachi stood, holding out a hand that was shaking slightly. A kind smile spread across his face.

"Welcome to my home. I'm Itachi," he introduced. Sasuke frowned, slapping his hand away. Itachi recoiled, looking highly offended.

"Itachi, what's wrong with you? Why are you pretending to be so stupid?" Sasuke began to get angry, apprehension all but gone. Itachi frowned along with him.

"Excuse me?" Itachi asked, unfocused eyes taking in the shinobi gathered around him.

"I…we know the truth about the Uchiha Massacre. Your name has been cleared…" He stopped when he saw Itachi's head snapped toward him sharply. Itachi's eyes widened. He fell on all fours, breathing heavily.

"Uchiha? Itachi Uchiha…Murder. I…murdered them?" Itachi kept muttering nonsense to himself, through his heavy breathing. Itachi let out a small noise before he pitched forward. He lay still for a moment, causing the gathered ninja to hold their breath, before Itachi started to heave. His hand clutched his chest tightly as he noisily inhaled and exhaled at random intervals.

"He's hyperventilating!" Naruto exclaimed.

"Shit! Sakura!" Sasuke hollered.

"I'm on it!" first Sakura regulated his chakra and gently pushed him up.

"He needs to calm down!" Neji told them in urgency unheard of from himself at the heaving man on the floor. Everyone but Sasuke and Sakura shot him an incredulous look until they realized what he was referring to. Itachi's chakra was flaring and dipping erratically, uncontrollable but due to the small amount Itachi had, it barely affected any of the other ninja. Sasuke was focused solely on the Uchiha on the floor as Sakura worked to calm Itachi.

Kakashi oversaw his two students, pride blossoming in his chest as he watched them take control of the situation. Then he was damn near knocked off his feet as Naruto shot past him. He realized why almost too late. Sasuke's chakra was flaring dangerously, electricity sparking up around him as he watched his brother writhe on the ground. Naruto clasped a firm hand on his shoulder, calming the erratic chakra pulsing around them. Sasuke snapped his head toward the ninja beside him in livid annoyance; Naruto shook his head.

The other ninja glanced at the two past rivals, interested vaguely at the interaction.

"Stop Sasuke, that isn't helping," Naruto told him softly. The Uchiha sneered at him and reluctantly worked on cooling himself down to everyone's surprise and relief. The shinobi redirected their attention to the cot when Sakura sighed heavily.

"He's unconscious now. We should head back to Konoha," she stated.

"It's time to leave," Sasuke ordered, taking his eyes off his brother.

"Should we tie him up?" Sai asked. Sasuke gave him a murderous look but any biting response was cut off by Kakashi.

"That would be idyllic but it seems Itachi is unclear about our motives. Tying him up would cause panic on his part and distrust. He is not our prisoner." Sai nodded, a tad stung by Kakashi's version of a parent's admonishment. Sensing this, Kakashi tilted his visible eye up in a smile before turning to Sasuke.

"I'll carry him," Sasuke answered the silent question floating around everyone. It was silent as Sasuke crouched down in front of his brother took the cover off his brother's still body. It seemed as though Itachi was wearing civilian clothes, although they still looked similar to the outfit he wore underneath his Akatsuki cloak.

Sasuke lifted him onto his back, letting Itachi's top half fall down his back while he held the unconscious Uchiha's thighs close to his chest.

"Neji," he addressed, "look for any belongings of his. Anything else will be set afire," he looked at Kakashi at the last request.

"Understood," Neji stated calmly, as he reactivated his Byakugan.

"Alright," Kakashi said as if it would be a strenuous activity. The rest of the group exited the cabin into the surrounding forest. Sasuke had already jumped up onto a branch. He was just itching to get back to Konoha and get proper help for his brother. He waited impatiently until the cabin went up in smoke and Neji and Kakashi had landed on either side of him on the branch.

"Let's go," Sasuke readjusted Itachi until he was comfortable and they launched forward through the foliage. The other ninja followed suit as they resumed the travel formation they had on their way to Itachi's cabin.

Four hours later found them at Konoha's front gates. Luckily, the trip back to Konoha had been uneventful besides a few scares. Sasuke heard a groan from his burden; it seemed as though Itachi was beginning to wake. Sasuke hardly stopped to check in, just allowed the guards to see his face before his speed picked up toward the Hokage tower.

Once they had allowed Tsunade to look over Itachi she admitted the oldest Uchiha into the Konoha Hospital.

Tsunade was currently drafting up Itachi's citizenship in her office. Sasuke and Naruto were sitting on opposite sides of Itachi's hospital bed as Sakura mended the newly found wound in Itachi's side. It wasn't that deep, and it was obvious a kunai did the damage. A strangled shocked sound exited her mouth when her wrist was suddenly grasped harshly. Sharp black eyes locked with hers as she fought the grip.

"Uchiha-san!" she lowered her voice once she realized he was only startled, "I'm only trying to heal you."

Itachi glared her down, grasping her arm even tighter

"Uchiha-san!" only once the reprimand left her mouth did she realize that Itachi's head was craned to the left of himself. He was staring straight at Sasuke, his mouth open a tad as he took gentle breaths. Sasuke cleared his throat.

"Let Sakura-san heal you Itachi," he ordered calmly, eyes never leaving his brother's. "Why am I here, still alive? The Akatsuki will most likely track me within the hour." It was dead silent. The three Konoha ninja looked at the oldest Uchiha. Akatsuki had been nonexistent for more than a year.

"Itachi," Naruto was the one that spoke, "we aren't killing you. Old Granny Tsunade is getting your Konoha citizenship ready right now."

For once, Itachi did not have all the answers nor did he know how to approach a situation such as this. Sasuke spotted it first, the slight tremble of Itachi's hand; he reached over and held his hand over Itachi's.

"Calm down Itachi. You know you have better control then this," his brother jumped at the contact and quickly snatched his hand away.

"Do not touch me," Itachi snapped, as his mind raced. Sasuke looked properly offended.

"Uchiha-san, how much do you remember?" Sakura asked him calmly. Itachi refocused his eyes away from her. Stubborn.

"Enough Itachi. We will talk after you rest," this was said with vague annoyance. Itachi did just that with a little aid from Sakura's quick hand to a pressure point.

What was wrong with his brother? He seemed so calm and confused when they had found him. Now he was anything but; Itachi seemed as if he was four years in the past!

Sasuke sighed in annoyance, thankful that Sakura and Naruto weren't talking right now. They all sat in Itachi's hospital room for hours.

Sakura hoped they could keep Itachi's state of being a secret, just for now. Who knew how dangerous the man was. Naruto kept staring at his friend sadly. Sasuke stared at his brother's still form. His face was as blank as always. Though it was paler than usual and the cheeks were a bit pronounced. Sasuke saw his brother's chest rise and fall unevenly. Apparently, his Itachi had just woken up.

Itachi slowly opened his glazed eyes. The three ninja looked at him warily.

He said something but none of them were able to catch it.

"What?" Sasuke asked blankly. Itachi smiled and the three shinobi gathered around him felt their stomachs drop.

"Oh it's not important," Itachi held out his hand, "pleased to make your acquaintance."

Sasuke stared at the outstretched hand and personally, felt like crying.

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><p>Well if you read it, enjoyed it, had a suggestion or just wanna say hi! Review :)<p> 


	2. Chapter 2

2nd Chappie! Ok I hope you guys enjoy this!

To Itachiyay: I'm not quite sure what you mean. Unfortunately you are an anonymous reviewer so I cannot get in contact with you in a better way. If you're still sticking around, please elborate!

Anyway! On with the show!

**Disclaimer: **This literature is purely for recreational purposes. I gain no profit from the story. ****

****I do not own any rights to 'Naruto'.****

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><p>Twenty minutes ago, Naruto and Sakura went down to the hospital cafeteria to get some breakfast leaving Sasuke to his thoughts. He sat beside his brother's bed and let his mind kick into overdrive.<p>

He knew they couldn't keep Itachi's condition a secret, no matter what Sakura promised to do. He was a tad disappointed with her and himself; keeping this secret would be dangerous and stupid.

The only problem was the worry floating around the three teammate's heads. Would Itachi be executed? Sasuke would never allow that even though his brother had been so hostile yesterday. He sprained Sakura's wrist!

Sasuke cursed. Why did Itachi have to make everything so damn difficult?

He heard a faint rustle and watched warily as Itachi began to wake up. He wondered, which Itachi would wake up this morning?

Itachi blinked his eyes a few times and yawning, dare he say…cutely? The groggy ninja rubbed his clouded eyes and Sasuke resisted the urge to yell at his brother to wake the hell up already.

"Oh, hello stranger. Sasuke was it? Good morning," Itachi greeted pleasantly as his face form a small smile.

Sasuke sighed in irritation. At least this Itachi was easier to deal with. He _really _wasn't looking forward to filing his mission report or when Tsunade would inevitably come to check up on Itachi. Sasuke hoped she stayed busy.

"I must say, it feels as though I know you from somewhere else," Itachi didn't seem the least bit bothered from Sasuke's lack of response from his greeting.

Sasuke fought to find a good lie. Last time they revealed who Itachi truly was the man hyperventilated.

"I get that a lot. I just have one of those faces," Sasuke lied smoothly. It was weak, he knew, but Itachi seemed to buy it, if the Uchiha's sympathetic nod was anything to go by.

They sat there in silence for a bit. Itachi looked as if he wanted to restart a conversation, in turn this made Sasuke try to appear as unapproachable as possible; a feat easily obtained by the Uchiha. The silence was broken when Itachi began coughing. The tame coughs quickly became wild, wet ones. Itachi was grasping his chest with one hand and had the other cupped around his mouth.

Sasuke stood up and went to get water from the sink beside Itachi's bed. He grabbed one of the stacked disposable cups and turned on the faucet. The water splashed on his hand when he held it under the flowing water. Once full he handed it toward Itachi.

His brother shook his head, eyes wide and hands still in place. His coughing had subsided. Sasuke let out a long suffering sigh. Itachi was such a child!

"Itachi, you need to drink this," he growled and then in a softer tone that wasn't really soft at all, "it'll make you feel better."

Itachi took his hand off of his chest and grasped the cup offered to him but the hand atop his mouth stayed.

"Itachi," Sasuke was getting horribly sick of saying that name, "You need to uncover your mouth in order to drink."

Itachi shook his head violently this time, long hair swinging with it.

Sasuke's eyes narrowed.

"Why?" he inquired as he slyly made to grab his brother's hand and remove it for him. The sight of his brother's fearfully wide eyes made him stop.

"What wrong? Let me see," Sasuke felt as if he was talking to a puppy but his kindness paid off. Slowly and hesitantly, Itachi moved his hand off of his mouth.

Sasuke noticed there was something red caked around his brother's mouth and on his lips.

'What in the…?' Sasuke refocused his attention on Itachi's outstretched hand. Like a spider web, red liquid spread across his brother's hand. The liquid fell between the slightly trembling fingers, spilling onto the white sheets of Itachi's hospital bed.

"Shit!" Sasuke quickly reached for the panic button, pointedly ignoring Itachi's guilty expression.

Luckily, it was Sakura who responded to the call. Naruto followed closely behind.

She didn't bother to ask what happened. One look at her patient told her such and her hands instantly glowed with minty green chakra. She gently pushed Itachi so he was lying flat against the bed and pressed the chakra to his chest.

Sasuke was irritated at the scene they presented. It wasn't even Sakura that was bothering him like she normally did. It was Itachi, who seemed almost creepily curious of Sakura's work. His eyes were wide as he strained to see what the nurse was doing to his chest.

"I believe, mentally, he's getting worse," Sasuke told them, not really caring that Itachi could hear him. Naruto put a comforting hand on his shoulder but Sasuke shrugged it off. He didn't want comfort right now.

"Sasuke-kun…" Sakura began mournfully. Sasuke grunted out a noise for her to continue, disregarding her tone.

"Itachi-san has tuberculosis," she told his after she had lulled her patient into slumber.

Sasuke was silent for a moment then, "I'm going for Tsunade-sama." His former teammates the Uchiha leave. They shared a look of sadness before they too left the room.

One hour found Sasuke back in Itachi's room but with Tsunade in tow. He reluctantly told her all that had transpired since they reached Itachi's cabin in the woods. The Hokage received all the information calmly and Sasuke could not tell what that meant for Itachi's future.

Tsunade summoned chakra into her hands and put it atop Itachi's chest. Her eye's widened as she surveyed the damage. She moved up his chest, past his raw throat and up into his head.

"How the hell are you still alive?" she whispered to her sleeping patient. Unfortunately, Sasuke heard it.

"Why, what's wrong?" he asked hurriedly. The Hokage didn't know where to begin.

Suddenly, her wrist was held in a vice like grip. Itachi was up and this Itachi was not friendly.

"Uchiha Itachi, release your grip if you value your life," she ordered him calmly. Sasuke looked as if he wanted to object the harsh treatment but one look from Tsunade made him stand down. She was bluffing.

Itachi never took his clouded eyes off of her as he slowly released her hand. His back was ramrod and tense. He was poised for attack although he had no weapon. Tsunade adopted a look just as terrifying as his.

"Are you aware of your current location?" she asked, readying her hand to shock him if he refused to answer. Itachi saw this. He would obey…for now.

"Konoha's main hospital. Fourth floor." He told her, raising his red stained hand to his face in order to get a better look.

"Good, what is your name?" Tsunade looked at his hand too.

"Uchiha Itachi"

"How old are you?"

"Twenty-One." Tsunade clicked her tongue irritably.

"Alright, what's the last thing you remember," Itachi stayed silent. Tsunade held her hand pulsing with chakra at his wounded side, about to shock him when, surprisingly, he answered.

"I heard Sasuke died. Of course, this is not true. The rest is quite foggy," Tsunade wanted to slap the Uchiha. That gave her little to go on! Sasuke was oddly silent; there was nothing he could say.

"I've given you the information you requested. Let me die in peace," Itachi closed his eyes. Tsunade really did slap him this time. Sasuke paled.

"No one is dying on my watch! Pay attention, you two. I will not repeat this." Itachi opened his eyes again, his attempt as contacting another Akatsuki member telepathically failed. Sasuke gave his full attention to Tsunade.

"Itachi has a severe case of Tuberculosis. In addition, there seems to be quite a bit of brain damage, the most severe having been trauma suffered on Itachi's frontal cortex," seeing their blank expressions she explained.

"A frontal cortex is the part of your brain located behind your brain. It's what determines your decision making skills along with social and behavioral impulse. When this is damaged a person may experience a drastic personality change. Although that does not explain why you seem to have two separate personalities, such a thing is unprecedented." Sasuke nodded, feeling vaguely as if he was in the academy again. Itachi made no move to indicate that he heard her.

"Itachi, you may not believe me but you are not in the time period you believe you are," now _that _got his attention.

"You are twenty-five, Itachi. Long ago we learned the truth about the Uchiha clan," she told him calmly. Sasuke tensed, ready to hold his brother down if he decided to attack.

"Excuse me? The 'truth'? And what would that be?" Tsunade wanted to smack that smirk off of his face.

"We know the orders Itachi, cut the bullshit. You're just wasting time," Sasuke told him, positively livid right now. He wasn't expecting a tearful embrace from his brother or anything but the way his brother was acting wasn't what he was expecting either.

"What you perceive is not always fact Sasuke. A ninja should learn this quickly." Itachi advised him smoothly. Sasuke wanted to run a chidori through his brother.

"I'm aware, _brother. _I learned that the hard way, did I not?" Sasuke snapped at him.

"Apparently not, the words you speak tell me such. Did the Hokage taint your brain to fall below her ranks? A familiar tale indeed," Itachi mused blankly, summoning what little chakra he felt he had.

Sasuke's eyes flickered dangerously. Mad at Itachi for putting on such an act. And mad at his self for allowing the words to bother him.

"Uchiha Itachi! Listen carefully because I will only say this once," Tsunade interjected, before Sasuke could let out the lightning chakra building up within himself. Itachi nodded stiffly, feeling the last of the chakra gathering to the forefront of his weak body.

"Twelve years ago, the Uchiha clan was annihilated on orders from Konohagakure's elders. We know you had no desire to do such a heinous deed so I would greatly appreciate it if you _stopped gathering that damn chakra_," she hissed out, annoyed he wasn't listening to her.

"So, you have acquired this information, well done. You forget that it does not atone for my sins. I am still a criminal," he acknowledged, falling back into the pillows. His brother did seem a tad older than how he remembered but it was subtle. He was slightly taller and he was a bit broader, that was all he could tell.

"You are not a criminal anymore," Tsunade informed him, a tad smug. Itachi's eyes narrowed.

"Explain," he demanded.

"I have cleared your record. You will become a citizen tonight, once you sign the paperwork," she told him seriously, realizing he had gotten oddly silent. There was something off about him, as he stared dead ahead. His ever trembling hands clutched the bed sheets tightly. It was only when his eyes finally focused that Tsunade and Sasuke realized he was blindingly mad.

"Imbeciles! What have you done?" Sasuke had never heard his brother yell before and was taken aback. Tsunade had a similar look of shock on her face.

"What do the elders think of this? Surely, they are not too keen on such a proposal," Itachi had regained most of his composure but there was still a wild and angry look in his clouded eyes.

"Actually, they advocated your return," Sasuke informed him. For the first time in quite some time, he felt apprehension when speaking with his brother.

Itachi snorted.

"Somehow, I find the notion unbelievable," he closed his eyes. They were beginning to bother him.

"The elders are not the same people you have come to know. Danzo has passed," Sasuke told him grimly. _And I was responsible for it. _

Itachi's eyes flew open at that. He took in Sasuke's expression and slowly smiled a bit.

"Good boy, you are not as incompetent as I was forced to believe," Itachi told him. Sasuke bristled.

"Itachi…just shut up," Sasuke growled at him impatiently. Itachi glared at him, annoyed at Sasuke's disrespect.

"Who replaced him?" Itachi questioned Tsunade.

"Nara Shikaku," Itachi took this information in, and then he nodded. That was a good choice.

"Koharu and Homura?" Itachi asked of the other elders. Tsunade grimaced, noticing the lack of respect when he said their named.

"They were replaced by Aburame Shibi and Yuuhi Kurenai," Itachi thought on these choices. Not so good of a choice. Tsunade should know better than to choose a clan member as one of the elders. It was idiotic. But Kurenai was another matter entirely…

"Hokage-sama, to the best of my knowledge Yuuhi-san was with child. I assume that she carried the child full term. That child is a liability," he told her, feeling as if he was talking a six year old.

Tsunade was surprised again at Itachi's knowledge on her ninja. It seemed a bit stalkerish. Creepy even. She hid her discomfort well.

"Do not question my authority," she demanded harshly, she looked out the window. "Your citizenship papers will be sent before nightfall," Tsunade informed him as she made for the door.

"I agreed to nothing," Itachi hissed.

"You have no say in the matter!" Sasuke hissed back, finally losing his composure. He clenched his fist, trying not to give onto temptation.

Itachi did not speak back. He ignored his brother's frustrated huff and the loud footsteps as he stormed out the room.

Itachi did not care what they knew or didn't know. His place was not in Konoha. His eyes spun dangerously, and he ignored the pain rippling from them as they bled. Itachi worked himself out of the hospital bed, the vertigo briefly blinding him. Once he regained his footing he turned toward the window.

Itachi stepped over to the wide opening behind his bed slowly and carefully. The black haired ninja felt the solid faux glass that stretched across it. Then with a surge of chakra he blew it open and, through the shattered debris, he fled over the bustling town below.

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><p>Thanks for reading! And please tell me what you think! I have a question for you guys too. Which Itachi do you prefer?<p> 


	3. Chapter 3

I can not apologize enough for how late this is! I'm terribly, terribly sorry! I have been very busy lately! I appreciate anyone who put this on their alerts! I won't waste your time! Enjoy!

**Warnings for this Chapter: **LANGUAGE

**Disclaimer: **This literature is purely for recreational purposes. I gain no profit from the story. ****

****I do not own any rights to 'Naruto'.****

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><p>When Tsunade was told that Itachi was missing from his hospital room her desk capsized under a chakra infused fist.<p>

"Shizune!" she barked. Immediately, her assistant was at her side.

"What is it, milady?" Shizune asked, clutching Ton Ton to her chest tightly. Tsunade turned to her grimly.

"A village lockdown has officially been ordered. Have every ANBU and Jonin aware. Have my ANBU captains into this office five minutes ago," Tsunade barked out as she shrugged off her Hokage robes. If she had to fight, she wouldn't want them slowing her down.

"Yes milady!" and Shizune did just that. Tsunade sighed irritably. Thanks to her incompetent hospital staff Uchiha Itachi was running loose. Not only did it look bad that she let a patient out of her sight for so long but who this particular patient was. If other villages were to catch wind of it…she couldn't bear the thought. Itachi, in their books, should have been executed by now.

Suddenly, the ANBU captains flooded her offices, simultaneous to the loud alarm echoing throughout the village. It was a high pitched screech, used only in extreme emergencies but she did not trust the Uchiha in the state she had left him in.

The ANBU were all tensed and undetectable, waiting for their orders. She explained to them the situation. They did not give off any type of surprise, for which she was thankful. Now, was not the time for emotions. She dismissed them and wordlessly they began to look for the runaway ninja.

Itachi ran, the alarm ringing painfully in his ears. He felt a faint hand tug at his pant leg, and skid to a stop to look down at the source. The sight was that of a little girl. Her blue hair blew wildly with the wind. Her large fearful eyes glistened with tears as her bottom lip quivered.

"I'm scared mister," she whispered, one hand on her ear and the other still clutching his pant leg. Itachi ignored the people running past them; he didn't understand what the alarm was for. Was there someone dangerous in the village?

His clouded eyes widened at this before relaxing them. He didn't want to alarm this little girl.

"What is your name?" he asked her.

"Miko," she said shyly. He picked her up, holding her against his hip.

"Well Miko-chan, let's find somewhere safe," he took off, clutching her tightly. To tell the truth, he was a tad bit scared himself. He didn't have much strength in him, nor did he exactly know how he got out of his hospital bed but he did know would find safety at all costs.

"I'm Itachi," he informed the little girl as he ran past closed shops and hurried ninja. Then he remembered; this was a village. There _had _to be a ninja academy. He knew that the adult population would not let children fend for themselves.

"Miko-chan," he addressed, "could you direct me to the academy?"

The little girl shifted on his hip a bit.

"Well, when we have an evacuation drill we have to go into the Hokage mountain," her tiny finger pointed toward the large rocky structure.

"I see," he muttered and then swallowed thickly.

"Hold on," and before she could question him he sped off toward the Hokage Mountain. He ate up the ground with his large strides, careful of the small child on his hip. He saw what she spoke of and sped up, ignoring the cramping in his side.

Suddenly, he was horizontal. He let out a gasp as his body made hard contact with the dirty ground. He tried to sit up, realizing Miko was getting squished under his weight but his hands seemed to be bound at his back.

Itachi rolled to his side and in turn got a better look at his attackers. They were masked men, all with weapons drawn. Itachi fought to sit up. These must be the dangerous people the alarm sounded for!

With this thought, Itachi panicked.

"Miko-chan! Run!" he yelled, noticing the little girl was still on the ground. She was trembling, sitting on her knees and looked utterly petrified by the men.

"Run!" he roared again, this time she looked at him. She stood up, took one look at Itachi's cut face and ran away.

Itachi made sure she was a long distance away before he focused on the quiet bad men.

"What do you want from me?" he asked hoarsely, he must have inhaled some dirt.

"You are under arrest," the masked men said. Itachi furrowed his brow at this. Were they trying to kidnap him? Well he refused! He had made too many friends here. Sasuke, Sakura and Naruto were so good to him.

So he fought to stand, and they let him struggle. Sweat dripped down the side of his face as he found strength in his legs and hoisted himself up.

"I won't let you take me," he gritted out as he started to move forward in small shuffles.

"Do you refuse to come quietly?" One of the masked figures asked.

Itachi looked up at him through a sweaty fringe.

"Yes." That was all the figures needed to hear. Before Itachi knew it, there was a fist in his gut. He bended over himself and began to cough. Unable to staunch the blood with his hands, it flowed freely through his cracked lips.

"Oh shit!" the figure cursed as Itachi fell onto his bottom.

"Horse," one of the figures chided calmly, "he got what was coming to him. Remain calm."

One of them made to grab at him and he scooted away from the gloved hand, coughs beginning to subside.

"No," he whispered, somehow this seemed familiar. They closed in on him warily, anticipating a fight. They seemed like demons, closing in on him, they were eerily silent but their killer intent screamed in the air. That was when something snapped inside Itachi and suddenly, he was on his feet and running.

The figures were right after him but his legs seemed inhuman as he flew across the ground. He felt chakra course through himself and wondered why a civilian like him would have such power. He felt the figures fall back behind him and he breathed a sigh of relief that he was beginning to lose them.

Suddenly, Itachi felt a familiar power…He couldn't describe it. Orange and black sped from his right and careened into him, sending him to the ground. He realized it was Naruto laying atop him.

"Come on!" the blond yelled before he threw Itachi on his back and vanished from the area.

(~~)

"Why'd you run away?" Itachi rubbed his temples as Naruto said this in order to regain his swimming vision. He ignored the stupid question; who wouldn't run from their kidnappers?

"Where are we?" Itachi asked, taking in the beautiful forest around them.

"Eh, somewhere outside Konoha," Naruto answered sheepishly and then he was serious once again.

"You know they're going to arrest you right?" Itachi scoffed.

"Why? I haven't done anything," he informed Naruto, wondering why the man had such a sad expression on his face.

"You don't remember, do you?" Naruto said lowly. Itachi shook his head, what had he done to get arrested for?

"Well what _do _you remember?" Naruto asked impatiently. Itachi thought on this.

"Sakura-san was healing me?" Itachi was unsure of himself especially so that Naruto had let out an irritated sound.

"Crap, ok teme should be here soon," Naruto informed him and sat down pretzel style. Itachi followed suit, wondering who 'teme' was. He wasn't all that bothered though, his mind was too focused on his dry throat. He needed something to drink but he didn't want to bother Naruto, the blond had saved him after all.

The two sat in an uncomfortable silence until Naruto decided to break it.

"So, you have a favorite color?" he asked, of all things. Itachi smiled at him.

"Sky blue," the raven haired man informed him. Naruto looked shocked by this. He was expected black or even red. Maybe that was just the favorite color of this Itachi.

"What about you, Naruto-kun?" Itachi inquired politely.

"Oh I don't really have one," Naruto told him sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head.

"Interesting," Itachi replied before they elapsed in silence again. They sat there for what felt like an eternity until a pair of legs was right in front of Itachi's face.

"Geez Sasuke, could you have been any later?" Naruto muttered.

"I got here as fast as I could," Sasuke retorted hotly. Naruto shook his head, standing up from the ground and extending his hand out to Itachi. The confused man took his hand and was pulled more than helped. He was starting to feel sore and therefore unable to help himself up.

"Thank you, Naruto-kun," the addressed ninja nodded, dusting off his slightly dirty pants.

"So what's the plan?" Sasuke asked.

"Oh hehe I thought you would come up with something," Sasuke sighed.

"Idiot!" he hissed.

"I am not!" Naruto whined.

"Really? Because I beg to differ" Sasuke sneered. As they were arguing they didn't realize Itachi's fixation on a squirrel. He followed it.

The fight progressed into Sasuke rearing back his fist to punch Naruto in his dumb face and Naruto wanted to punch Sasuke in his asshole face. Naruto caught Sasuke fist just before it made contact.

"Wait, where's Itachi?" Naruto asked, looking around them.

"Damn it! Find him," Sasuke ordered and went to the right. Naruto sped off to the left.

Sasuke was the one who found him. Itachi was progressing toward his old cabin, walking as if on a Sunday stroll.

"Itachi," Sasuke let out curtly. The man addressed turned around.

"Sasuke? Hello," Itachi greeted pleasantly before he turned back around. Sasuke appeared in front of him.

"Itachi, you have to stay with us," Sasuke informed him. Itachi nodded his understanding before he proceeding toward the cabin.

"Itachi, where are you going?" Sasuke asked. His patience with his brother was wearing thin.

"Your village does not seem safe. I will retire to my home for the night," Itachi replied, never breaking stride.

"It is your village too!" Sasuke said heatedly then instantly regretted it.

"My village?" Itachi questioned quietly. Sasuke grimaced.

"Forget it, we need to go," Sasuke felt as if he was running in circles.

"Why?" Itachi inquired, a bit childishly.

"Because I said so," Sasuke gritted out. He wondered if he was this irritating when he was a little kid. He doubted it.

"That is not a valid reason. You could be working for those masked men," Itachi pointed out, now on high alert. It was like a punch to Sasuke's gut. Itachi didn't trust him?

"I'm not. I'm trying to protect you," Sasuke told him blankly.

"Although appreciated, I do not require you're protection," Itachi picked up his pace. Sasuke grit his teeth. His matter line was just crossed.

"What's with the attitude?" Sasuke thought 'clueless Itachi' was supposed to be nice. What the hell happened?

"My apologies," Itachi sounded anything but apologetic. Sasuke narrowed his eyes until he realized Itachi's eyes were a tad wider than what they normally were. Itachi was walking away from him stiffly. Sasuke's eyes softened. Itachi was just scared.

"Come Itachi, I will help you," Sasuke told him gently. It was almost painful; he wasn't used to being so kind.

"No," Itachi refused and picked up his pace until he broke out into a run. Sasuke groaned and chased after him. He quickly came behind Itachi.

"I'm sorry brother," Sasuke whispered and then forced two fingers to Itachi's pressure points. Itachi fell and everything fell black.

Itachi's head felt heavy as he began to wake up. He was in a hard chair and his wrists were bound tightly.

The Uchiha's eyes spun with sharingan as he stared down at his legs. His hair fell into his face, obscuring any view of where he was. His plan of escape must have failed. Itachi tensed when he felt someone enter the room.

Icy cold water was thrown onto his head and he unwillingly jumped as the fluid slid down his face.

"Wake the fuck up," a gruff voice ordered. He looked up slowly to glare.

"Morino Ibiki," he muttered as he kept eye contact. The fearsome man glared down at him before a cruel smirk curved his lips.

"In the flesh."

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><p>Well I hope you enjoyed this chapter and please review! It makes me update much quicker if I know people are interested in it! Thanks again for giving this a chance!<p> 


	4. Chapter 4

Sorry Guys! This is super late but I have been mega busy! I'm not gonna hold up your time!

**Warning: MATURE THEMES** (so please no immaturity)

**Disclaimer: **This literature is purely for recreational purposes. I gain no profit from the story. ****

****I do not own any rights to 'Naruto'.****

* * *

><p>Previously<p>

Itachi's head felt heavy as he began to wake up. He was in a hard chair and his wrists were bound tightly.

The Uchiha's eyes spun with sharingan as he stared down at his legs. His hair fell into his face, obscuring any view of where he was. His plan of escape must have failed. Itachi tensed when he felt someone enter the room.

Icy cold water was thrown onto his head and he unwillingly jumped as the fluid slid down his face.

"Wake the fuck up," a gruff voice ordered. He looked up slowly to glare.

"Morino Ibiki," he muttered as he kept eye contact. The fearsome man glared down at him before a cruel smirk curved his lips.

"In the flesh."

From the cold steel chair Itachi looked up at his interrogator. His eyes narrowed as he peered through a sweaty fringe. He idly thought that if his hands were released he would've tied it back. The man before him stared emotionlessly.

"Are you aware of why you were brought here?" Ibiki asked the weakened ninja in front of him. Itachi stubbornly avoided answering, looking at the ground. Ibiki slammed his hands on the Uchiha's strapped arms. Itachi coughed but otherwise ignoring him.

Ibiki watched the blood slide down Itachi's chin.

"Uchiha, I will get physical," Ibiki warned as his grip on the man tightened. Itachi mumbled something, causing a waterfall of crimson liquid to spill out of his mouth. Ibiki grimaced.

"What?" Ibiki demanded.

"Execution," Itachi bit out as his throat screamed at him. Ibiki clicked his tongue and stepped back.

"No, not execution," Ibiki stood in front of him buying his time before that Yamanaka got there. Itachi closed his eyes, thoroughly confused and tense.

"Ibiki-san," Inoichi Yamanaka came in through the heavy, previously bolted door. Itachi straightened, fully aware of the capabilities of this man.

"Welcome Inoichi, I assume you've been briefed on the information you need to acquire?" Ibiki asked, but he already knew the answer.

"Of course," Inoichi replied as he crept closer without taking his eye off the silent Uchiha.

"You will not touch me," Itachi told him sharply.

"You are within Konoha's walls, therefore under its law, you do not have a say in this matter," Ibiki told him as he watched Inoichi roll up his sleeve.

Itachi remained silent and tried to conjure up enough chakra to activate his sharingan. He didn't have enough; it seemed his energy was reduced to a wounded civilian. So he sat and waited, sharingan or not his mental defenses were strong enough to combat against the invasive Yamanaka.

The blond man reached a hand out onto the Uchiha's sweaty forehead and Itachi glared back defiantly. Itachi dropped his eyes as he felt the man begin prodding within his mind.

_Inoichi floated around the Uchiha's memories, they all seemed very useless. Many of them were about Sasuke and their childhood together. Inoichi pushed them away, knowing he wouldn't find anything there. He continued to float around until he suddenly jerked violently and fell into a pit of blackness. _

_A stabbing white light erupted from the darkness and Inoichi grit his teeth to keep from covering his eyes. _

"_Dammit Uchiha, what the hell?" Inoichi grumbled as the whiteness disappeared and he found himself in the Uchiha District. A young Sasuke ran by him, distraught and in tears yelling about not wanting to die. Inoichi instantly knew this was the night of the massacre. Inoichi ignored this memory for now. This was not his main concern._

_Inoichi waded through Itachi's first meeting with the Akatsuki, his various missions, his returns to Konoha all up till he got to Itach's current age. He could sense a change in the atmosphere of his mind as he reached here._

_Before, the memories were plagued with rage and agony. Now, they seemed almost dead. Inoichi had to wonder what mindset the Uchiha had gotten himself into. _

_He felt a certain chill as he appeared in a dimly lit room. Itachi sits by a desk, writing something in a small booklet. The wooden door creaks open._

"_What are you doing here?" Itachi asks without bothering to look up. A man in a pure black mask with one eyehole chuckles at him._

"_What kind of greeting is that?" he humorously asks this but there's a hint of danger in his tone._

"_Yes," Itachi tells him, still not bothering to look up. _

"_Do not test me tonight," the masked man snarls dangerously, all signs of humor gone. Itachi closes his booklet and sets down the writing utensil._

"_Come," the masked man orders the Uchiha. Itachi sighs but nonetheless gets up and follows him out of the room. Inoichi followed them through the winding hallways. The two men do not talk to each other as they exit the house and travel toward the surrounding woods. Inoichi watched on as they reached a small clearing. _

_The masked man bears a sword and Itachi pulls out his kunai. The two men clash and they engage in heated battle. Inoichi watched as the masked man pushes the sword through Itachi's stomach. _

_It wasn't a clone; the masked man throws himself onto the masked man and rips the sword out. He angles the sword at Itachi's neck and the Uchiha struggles violently against the man's grasp. _

"_Weak," the masked man sneers. Itachi spits blood into his face. As the scene plays out realization dawned on Inoichi. He found himself unable to look away at the masked man's cruel actions. _

_Abruptly, the memory explodes on itself and several barriers are put around the remains. _

Inoichi jolted back into reality. His eyes were wide open as he breathed heavily. He looked into the Uchiha's cloudy eyes.

"Did you find what you were looking for..Yamanaka-san?" Itachi had a faint smirk on his face. Inoichi looked at him in disbelief. Did he think what happened was funny? If so, how sick was this man?

Ibiki was staring him down, "I believe we are done for now. Inoichi you are dismissed. Report to the Hokage."

Inoichi nodded once and left the cell. Once Ibiki was sure he was gone the interrogator turned back to Itachi. The Uchiha stared right back. Ibiki clicked his tongue and left the cell too.

Itachi glared at the closed door. Konoha's way of dealing with criminals had changed vastly and he would find a way to change that.

Suddenly, the door was opened again and four ANBU filed in. Two ANBU worked on undoing his constraints while the other two stood silently by the door. They helped him stand and Itachi's legs screamed at the mild exertion. The four ANBU made a simple transportation jutsu and they were within the same hospital room Itachi had run from hours before. Or was it days?

They all but pushed him on the bed and he heard one of them snicker.

"Sleep tight Uchiha," one told him condescendingly.

"Pig," another ANBU admonished and with that they left. Itachi struggled to sit up; his neck was starting to hurt. The Uchiha was very disappointed with Konoha, criminal or not, he was definitely a threat to them and should be locked up or restrained.

The hospital door slammed open and Itachi had to fight with himself not to flinch.

"Itachi!" Sasuke rushed in with Naruto following quickly after him. Itachi groaned, nothing like the loud duo when your head was pounding. Sasuke was by his side, poking and prodding at him to see if there was any injury.

"Did they hurt you?" Sasuke asked dangerously, sharingan spinning already.

"Calm yourself Sasuke, I am fine," Itachi reassured him.

"I told you Sasuke! He's fine!" Naruto hollered to his friend.

"Shut up, dumbass!"

Itachi sighed…these two.

Tsunade sighed.

"So he's still suffering from memory loss?"

"Yes, but he seems to remember a few current things," Inoichi told her.

"Oh?" she inquired as she took a sip from her sake cup.

"Yes a very recent memory. I believe psychotherapy will help bring it out," the Yamanaka stood there awkwardly.

"I was already looking into that but your input is appreciated," The Hokage nodded to him sharply. Inoichi still stood there.

"What is it Inoichi, I am a very busy woman," Tsunade stared at him through narrowed eyes.

"Well you may need to prepare something else for him…" Inoichi trailed off; there wasn't an easy way to say it.

"Well? Spit it out!" The Hokage snapped.

"A rape kit."

"…I see."

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><p>So please tell me what u want to see, what you dont like or say hi! Thanks for reading! :D<p> 


	5. Chapter 5

**Warning: ** This next chapter has alot of language in it therefore the rating has been changed to M.

Please Enjoy :)

**Disclaimer: **This literature is purely for recreational purposes. I gain no profit from the story. I do not own any rights to 'Naruto'.****

* * *

><p><strong>Previously<strong>:

Tsunade sighed.

"So he's still suffering from memory loss?"

"Yes, but he seems to remember a few current things," Inoichi told her.

"Oh?" she inquired as she took a sip from her sake cup.

"Yes a very recent memory. I believe psychotherapy will help bring it out," the Yamanaka stood there awkwardly.

"I was already looking into that but your input is appreciated," The Hokage nodded to him sharply. Inoichi still stood there.

"What is it Inoichi, I am a very busy woman," Tsunade stared at him through narrowed eyes.

"Well you may need to prepare something else for him…" Inoichi trailed off; there wasn't an easy way to say it.

"Well? Spit it out!" The Hokage snapped.

"A rape kit."

"…I see."

(~~)

"Cat," Itachi intoned as Naruto held up another flash card. For the past twenty minutes the man had been going through this elementary memory game. The hospital room had never seemed so bleak.

"Naruto-kun," Itachi began but Naruto wasn't paying attention as he rifled through his 'Make Itachi Better' bag that lay on the floor next to his chair. Personally, Itachi thought that the chair was pulled a bit too close to his bed but he wasn't going to say anything to the ninja. At least he had a green flak jacket atop all that mind numbing orange.

"Okay obviously you know your animals," Naruto muttered as he dug through the bag and finally gasped in delight. "But let's see if you know this!" and with that the ninja pulled out an inkblot test.

"What do you see?" Naruto implored with squinted eyes. Itachi sighed. _Dear Heavens have mercy_ he thought, agitated beyond belief.

He had been resting peacefully exhausted from the mind exploration when the blond ninja noisily bounded into the room. He had claimed that the Hokage had no idea what she was doing, torturing the answers out of him, and therefore took it upon him to rehabilitate the Uchiha. He would not listen to any of Itachi's objections.

"Naruto are you harassing my patient!" Itachi had never been so happy to see pink in his entire life.

Sakura stormed in and smacked Naruto upside the head with her clip board.

"Get out! I need to give my patient a checkup," she ordered, throwing his large duffle bag at him.

"Aw Sakura-chan I can't stay!" he whined. Sakura shot him a death glare with enough heat to melt a glacier and Naruto ducked his head.

"Ok! Ok! Jeesh!" Naruto obliged as he slung the duffle bag over his shoulder and left the room, rubbing a hand on his head as he left.

"How have you been feeling Uchiha-san?" Sakura asked. Itachi narrowed his eyes at her. Everyone was treating him like a helpless civilian but he was a criminal. As a criminal he knew how to deal with physical injuries. The medical ninja continued to stare at him so he decided to nod at her. The sooner he obeyed her the sooner she would leave.

"Itachi…" the addressed ninja raised his head at the informality, "we ran a few tests on you. I know it's difficult to be such a powerful ninja and be defiled in such a way but…" she was cut off by the ice cold look Itachi sent her.

"Leave." He ordered, staring into her wide green eyes. She gulped.

"Itachi you need to talk about this if you ever hope to leave this hospital." Sakura didn't realize how threatening that sounded.

"Leave!" he ordered again, his voice rising in volume.

"But Itachi…" Sakura said with such a forlorn voice it made Itachi sick. He felt his sharingan flash and spin. There was a flash of pain, yelling, a crash, and then everything went black.

(~~)

He felt someone calling his name. Who was that? And why did his head hurt so badly? His head was swimming in fog. He decided to open his eyes. The sooner he could find answers the better. The light pierced into his sore eyes and he was only able to open them but so far.

"Itachi, you're up!" He was assaulted with yellow as strong arms latched around him. The arms wrapped almost painfully around his torso. "We were so worried!" he realized it was just Naruto. Sasuke knocked the hyper active ninja out of the way.

They appeared to be in some type of medical jail cell. Because there were plenty of hospital supplies in the room and it was much too uncomfortable and stony to be a hospital room.

"Itachi what the hell!" Sasuke growled at him. Now he was confused, what had he done? He remembered getting angry at Sasuke's team mate and some loud sounds but that was when his memory of the event stopped.

"You know they're holding a meeting right now? To see how dangerous you are?" Sasuke asked him rhetorically.

"Konoha should have done so to begin with," Itachi rebutted unconcernedly, absently noticing the chakra restraints on his wrists. He smirked.

"Itachi you don't get it! They could have you killed!" Sasuke hissed vehemently. Itachi made a pleased noise in the back of his throat.

"It's just as well. Konoha should have shed my blood ages ago." Itachi responded smirking up at his little brother from the hard bed he lay in.

"Sasuke no!" Naruto yelled but it was too late. Itachi's head snapped to the side as Sasuke's fist landed a hard punch on his cheek. The crunch that resounded was sickening.

"Knock it off! Fuck! Knock it off Itachi!" Sasuke got up, running a hand through his dark blue hair. Itachi stared at his brother in vague shock. Where had calm Sasuke come from?

"What?" Itachi wasn't expecting his brother's next actions as he raised him off of the hospital bed by his collar. The younger Uchiha had pulled his brother closer to his face and glared menacingly at him.

"_What? _What! Itachi you aren't a criminal. Stop acting like it. You have a second chance. Stop trying to fuck it up!" Sasuke was spraying spittle all over his face but Itachi didn't bother trying to escape him. Naruto pulled the young ninja away and Itachi fell back onto the bed.

"Sasuke! You aren't helping. Now, I have to leave and you two better not kill each other," Naruto huffed before exited out of the medical cell. Sasuke slumped down on the bed next to his brother's legs.

"Look," Sasuke started angrily but Itachi cut him off.

"Foolish Little Brother, perhaps it's time to come to terms with my death" Itachi told him. Sasuke looked at him incredulously.

"You aren't dead yet." Sasuke muttered back.

"It won't be long until Konoha lowers the axe," Itachi closed his eyes and just as Sasuke was about to punch him again the cell door swung open.

In walked two ANBU, who wordlessly asked the two brothers to follow them. Sasuke helped his brother up silently and the ANBU transported them inside of the room where the council normally held meetings.

They were greeted by a full room. Not only were the Hokage and clan leaders there but miscellaneous ninja stood around the rectangular table. Itachi stood in front of the table where there was no one sitting at the head. Tsunade looked at him from across the table at the other head.

_One man's death is truly this interesting? _Itachi asked himself but showed nothing of his thoughts visibly.

"Itachi Uchiha!" The Hokage ordered over the mutterings the miscellaneous ninja were causing.

Call it an old habit from the room, or maybe just a random bout of respect but Itachi instantly bowed his head respectfully as if to receive a mission.

"Yes, Hokage-sama?" Suddenly it was deadly silent in the room and Itachi realized his mistake. He straightened his back agitatedly.

"Such a show of respect validates our decision," Kurenai Yuuhi was the first to speak.

"What decision?" Sasuke demanded leaving Itachi to think of when exactly Sasuke had gotten so impatiently rude.

"Sasuke," he lightly chided, "a lady is speaking." Sasuke glared at him but fell silent. From his seat at the table, Naruto- when had he rose rank in such a way?- was giggling like mad, ignoring the disapproving glance he got from the room as a whole.

"Ahem Well as I was saying we have decided to let you live but only if you abide by our conditions," Kurenai began, glancing at Itachi's ice cold expression. "If you choose to decline these conditions the consequence will be prison and very likely death."

Itachi idly wondered what he had recently done to get them so wary of him now. He noticed before anyone else did that Sasuke was about to say something so he loudly cleared his voice.

"If I could impose, could you remove my brother from the premises as we hold this discussion?" Itachi asked of Tsunade, beyond annoyed at Sasuke's antics.

"Of course," Tsunade smirked; the young ninja was being an annoying little brat half his age. "Kakashi!" she barked and the addressed lazily lifted his head up from the table. He got up with a yawn that he unnecessarily stifled with a gloved hand and appeared next to the two brothers.

"Come on Sasuke," he put a strong hand upon Sasuke's shoulder and tried to steer him toward the door. Tried.

"No, I refuse to leave my brother to the dogs." Sasuke spoke vehemently. Itachi looked at his brother, unimpressed.

"I'll be fine. Now leave." Itachi ordered beyond agitated by the man. Sasuke glared him down and they locked eyes. Both looked just as dangerous and the temperature in the room dropped drastically. Eventually though, Sasuke dropped his eyes with an irritated growl and left with Kakashi. Once the door slammed shut Kurenai began again.

"The conditions are as follows; you will have your chakra sealed, you will be enlisted as a citizen of Konoha, you will attend a mental rehabilitation class." Kurenai finished and everyone waited with baited breath as to what the former Akatsuki member would say.

"I refuse your conditions. Do what you will," Itachi finally answered. The ninja gathered obviously did not expect this because they all had different degrees of surprise about them.

"Underst-" Naruto cut Tsunade's response off.

"Itachi! How foolish! We finaly got you back! The bastard has been worried sick about you and for some reason you are so determined to die! Is this how you repay our efforts?" Naruto hollered at him angrily.

"My reasons are my own," Itachi muttered.

"You're reasons are selfish dammit!"

"Naruto! That is enough." Tsunade rubbed her temples.

"We cannot force you to accept our conditions and we did foresee such an outcome. Therefore we will allow a negotiation." Itachi sighed; of course it would not be this easy to atone for his sins.

"I will be reinstated as a Konoha ninja, I will attend mental rehabilitation classes. If I am perceived as a threat or become too unstable you must put me down. I cannot become a liability for Konohagakure," Itachi stated loudly and firmly. Tsunade seemed to mull this over.

"We will put these conditions under a vote. You must understand that if we let you reinstate as a ninja of Konoha you must receive physical rehabilitation alongside therapy." Tsunade added.

"Understood." Itachi could deal with these terms.

"All in favor of these conditions raise your right hand," Tsunade ordered. The majority of the room slowly raised their hands.

"All opposed?" Not a single ninja raised their hands. Tsunade cleared her throat.

"As of this moment, Itachi Uchiha, is now a ninja of Konoha. Report to my office at dawn Tsunade told Itachi. Everyone seemed to be suffering from the surrealism of it all. Itachi Uchiha, the criminal who defected from the village at such a young age and became a criminal, the one that seemed on death's door five years back was in Konoha as an ally.

"What the hell are all you standing here for? Leave!" Tsunade bellowed and hurriedly everyone left the room. Itachi suddenly felt a hand clamp down on his shoulder and he almost jumped. Naruto stood next to him with a shit eating grin on his face.

"Well how about we get some ramen to celebrate," Naruto invited. Itachi didn't remember when he and Naruto became best of friends but he acknowledged that the blond ninja always tended to be overly friendly.

"Itachi!" Sasuke burst into the room with Kakashi walking after him slowly.

"The verdict?" Sasuke asked him and the sadistic sides of Itachi made him want to keep him guessing but he filled him in.

"I'll make sure you fulfill all of those requirements," Sasuke pledged and Naruto agreed with a firm head shake. Itachi smiled fondly at the two. Perhaps it was time to start a new chapter in his life.

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><p>I really hope you enjoyed this one! Be warned after this chapter there will be a major time skip, sorry! Please Read &amp; Review :D<p> 


	6. Chapter 6

My apologies. Again, I have lost motivation for this story. So I will discontinue it. If anyone wants to adopt or take this idea your more than welcome. I hope you do better than me. Thanks.

Again I apologize if you were interested.


	7. I'm back

I'm sure I've lost many readers in the last years of my absence but it is my pleasure to announce I will be **revitalizing this account**!

I have had a rough two years that have barred me from using Fanfiction as often as I wished too. Now I'm back with new and exciting ideas for my stories! I will keep the original stories up while I re-edit them. But now the future of this account is in YOUR hands! Which story would you like to see updated? Take the** poll in my profile** to decide and that will be the first one I update. I appreciate everyone's support and questions over the years!

Any questions? Just press that PM button.


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